Belgian cuisine is sometimes described as French food with larger quantities. And it's true that we rarely manage more than one course when dining out in Bruxelles. But the foods that are truly Belgian reflect the country's blending of the Walloon French, Flemish Dutch, and Ardennes German cultures.
Typical dishes might include the strangely named, but delicious:
Stoemp—mashed potatoes with greens, usually cabbage.
Waterzooie—fish or occasionally chicken in a thin cream sauce with rice.
Carbonnade Flamande—think Beef Bourguignon with Trappist ale instead of the red wine.
Moules-Frites—Zeeland mussels, usually in white wine with loads of garlic and french fries.
Chicons au Gratin—chicory (Belgian endive) in a cheese sauce.
Vol-au-Vent—chicken and mushrooms in a puff pastry.
Asperges Flamandes—white, seasonal asparagus with a crumbled boiled egg.
Tomates-Crevettes—beefsteak tomatoes stuffed with tiny grey shrimp and mayonnaise.
And then there's the very oddly named Filet Américain—raw hamburger mixed with herbs, capers, and mayonnaise, ideally blended table side by the customer herself.
And the closest thing to a national dish, Steak-Frites-Salat.
[But not Brussels Sprouts, which are as British as the Queen of England!!!]
One of our favorite dishes, served at only the hippest brasseries, is Spaghetti Bolo Crème. The preparation is as odd as it is simple:
The Spaghetti (or Angel Hair) is boiled, strained, and emptied into a bowl.
A half-cup or so of medium-weight cream is poured over it.
The dish is then topped with equal parts Bolognese sauce and shredded Gruyère cheese.
Yes, that's a lot of cheese, but Europeans tend to drown their pasta in cheese anyway. In Belgium, the Bolognese is usually pretty tomatoey, with just a touch of ground beef, but any mild Bolognese will work.
The consumer then mixes up the dish, the liquid gets absorbed, and culinary bliss ensues. This might, in fact, be the one dish we’ve never quite screwed up!